"If you were able to pay down $4K in CC debt in four months, why don't you give yourself another 4 months to eliminate it entirely, and another 6 months or so to save up for your down payment?"

Actually, I paid the cards down so much by applying my year-end bonus toward them; selling an old computer; getting reimbursed by my employer for some professional expenses I paid out of pocket a year ago (I'll get taxed on the reimbursement, of course); and diverting a little bit of savings.